see the light

Come rain or shine, it’s amazing how often the weather comes up when we share our Talk Club inspired check-in scores on the morning school run.

It’s become part and parcel of our morning routine over the past couple of years. We either share scores in the car.. radio off… active listening on… or share them on the walk after we park up. This year I’ve been logging the scores on a note on my phone, along with any word prompts for reasons.

What I’ve seen so far this school year has been more thought and precision in the boys’ scores. One of them almost without fail scored a 10 every day last year. This year has been a different story, and it’s brilliant to see them really thinking about how they feel, and how that’s reflected in their score.

When I say my goodbyes to the boys outside their classroom, I often remind them to hold onto their scores. I encourage them to see if there are any ways they can improve their score even by as little as 1 decimal place and be curious about how that then makes them feel.

They have thrown some curveballs in at times, splitting their scores by head and heart, coupled with an aggregated score. Some days their mental fitness has taken a hit while they feel physically fit or vice versa.

Without realising it, they’re equipping themselves with tools that strengthen their personal resilience. They’re becoming more in tune with how they think, feel and why. They’re also learning about any actions they take in response and how that affects their mood and score. Long may this continue.